Emilio Pucci Catwalk Fashion Show Milan FW2012

Peter Dundas, the British designer working for Emilio Pucci, surprised the audience with a complete different collection – far from Pucci heritage of paisley swirls and moving prints. He took his own wardrobe as a starting point. So masculine tailoring and fabrics dominated, as did black, and a minimalist hugging silhouette. The focus was at tight dresses with sexy splits and slits revealing slices of sheer, he also used velvet prints at sheer fabrics. Later the same idea got more bejeweled. For evening Dundas suggested beside the sexy dresses classic tuxedos, or tuxedo-elements.

Marni Catwalk Fashion Show Milan Womenswear FW2012

Control and precision; grace that is dry, assertive, with a hint of tension. An idea of graphic composition permeates the Marni collection for fall 2012: pure lines, decisive volumes. As if obeying to a precise layering plan, outfits have a constructivist feel with a sleek outlook and a tactile intensity.
The silhouette is neat and precise, to-the-knee, with a dropped waist. There’s an idea of clothing as a soft, architectural element. Exact capes create a firm halo around the body. Decoration turns into construction, playing with the weight of surfaces.  An air of grace and rigor runs through: the neck is always covered. Prints are used as an accent: a single outsized flower, papiro jacquards and brocades.
The palette has notes of butter, crimson red, clear blue with touches of pink, blush, tan and broken with notes of black, tobacco and saffron. Fabrics have a compact hand: silk wool double-face, lurex jacquard, wool crepe. Exaggerated, oversized patent leather and snakeskin add weight and presence.

Jil Sander Catwalk Fashion Show Milan FW2012

With hist last collection for Jil Sander, Belgium designer Raf Simons tried to tell a poetic story of the hours in a couple’s domestic life, from a woman’s morning lingerie to wool coats and black cocktail dresses. This show contained all the designs Simons surprised us with over the past few years, a fully modern perspective on construction and deconstruction, on feminine colors, on magical ideas. And we are going to miss him for that.

Simons made his final Sander collection one of positive beauty, poetic, gentle and refined. He opened with double-faced clutch coats in  pale pink and dove gray, tobacco and bright pink – with a hint to late-Fifties couture. He then went to dresses with an innovative lingerie reference. He even used PVC looked for folded dresses and skirts and they looked lovely rather than aggressive.

Jil Sander might return to teh house she left years ago, but it’s going to be a totally different ball game for her. Raf Simons proved what he is capable of and he will just improve every season. It won’t be easy for Jil Sander to equalize what he left behind.

Emporio Armani Catwalk Fashion Show Milan FW2012

Today’s Emporio Armani looked like fun. Fun to wear and fun to watch. Outfits were outspoken when it came to silhouette and print. Besides they were finished off in all kinds of playful ways (ethnic, chunky jewelry and eye catching hats).

We saw cut out jersey jackets, combined with striped, structured skirts and berets. Models wore knee high shorts with woolen vests and wide decorated hats. Fringed coats were presented next to tweed and polka dot versions. And there were some peplums in the mix as well.

Along the way Armani, who is always a great fan of the basic shades (black, blue, grey) experimented with busy prints and rainbow colors. He presented some great colored coats and skirts in line with the fun colored trend of the moment and perfect to brighten up a dark day. It might have been slightly out of his comfort zone, but we would love to see that ethnic/bright colored Emporio more often.

 

Bottega Veneta Catwalk Fashion Show Milan FW2012

The fall-collection of Bottega Veneta exuded in precision and discipline, with lean silhouettes and narrow fit. There were tailored jackets and skirt suits cut straight. It was just simple, chic elegance in black, navy and maroon. Fabrics were rich and decorations modest, a big brooch, pendants and earrings. Controlled, but not forced.

Versace Catwalk Fashion Show Milan FW2012

The models in the Versace show looked dangerous. Or, like many fashion-editors said: like actress Rooney Mara in her performance as the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  The clothes were all gothic drama, dark and underground. There was no sparkle of sunny glamour.
The show opened with two black velvet dresses — one covered up, one bare — both embroidered with leather Byzantine crosses. The crosses appeard small and big, in the middle of a corset or at a breastplate. There wer some colorful prints, letters that spelled V E R S A C E. It looked a bit cheap.
More Versace were the chainmail dresses and open metal mesh – it gave the models an air of savage crusaders.

 

Blumarine Catwalk Fashion Show Milan FW2012

The name of today’s Blumarine show was Positively Shining. And shiny it was… Besides Anna’s usual suspects, animal prints and bright shades, metallics were a central theme in the collection.

The glitz and glam theme started off subtly with silver shaded ankle boots, yet soon the full on shiny grey-ish/silver looks (skinny jeans and trench coats) appeared. They were followed by ensembles (snakeskin shorts, skirts and old skool jackets) in other metallic tones like light pink, gold-ish and light blue. And towards the end the shiny was even introduced on a few disco chic biker jackets, with every possible shade reflected in them.

Now you would think the metallic part would be enough of a wow-factor for a winter collection. But hey, it’s Blumarine and with Blumarine girls you can never overdo it. So Anna added some frizzy bright furs, some full op leopard looks, a couple of larger than life (hoola hoop) earrings and a bunch of sexy sequined rainbow party dresses.

Positivity to the max we would say and we sure can use some of that.

 

CNC Costume National Catwalk Fashion Show Milan FW2012

In the show notes designer Ennio Capasa of CnC Costume Nationel explained his collection was about  ‘an imaginative woman in a virtual metropolis’ who is ‘post-punk, post-chic but above all technological’. Like the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo? It’s clear that this type of tough girl is inspiring more designers, if not the colthes it’s the beauty of Rooney Mara (her dark, short hair and black make-up). Fabrics were extra shiny, like a slick patent leather. Capasa used it for robust outerwear in boxy shapes with diagonal zippers. The result was futuristic and a bit aggressive.

Just Cavalli Catwalk Fashion Show Milan FW2012

He might be 71 years of age, Roberto Cavalli still knows how the youngsters love to party. Extremely loud (some front row ladies were spotted with their hands on their ears) and super sexy, that is.

Cavalli took his party back to the sixties  as he presented long sleeved, drop waisted dresses, mostly in black and white. His signature animal prints were mixed up with typical sixties prints, like a leopard print slowly evolving in a hounds tooth version.

The silhouette and fit of the dresses might have been modest, Cavalli still gave the designs his sexiness by opting for airy fabrics and sequined details. Besides, he gave his pumps a pink sole, for extra sex appeal and… to party on till early morning.

Etro Catwalk Fashion Show Milan FW2012

At Etro a traditional autumn palette set the tone of a collection full of outerwear and gentle country-life clothes plus lots of knits. Jackets and coats were belted and sometimes topped with  astrakhan capelets. Special details were leather peplum belts, men’s-inspired swaggers, sheer underpinnings and a some body-conscious silhouettes.
Of course there was the famous paisley-pattern, modern and sometimes exploding.

« Previous Page — Next Page »